Snow blower with edge blades

ABSTRACT

The combination of a snow blower and edge blades. The snow blower of the type having an auger housing which includes a back wall, a planar left vertical wall and a planar right vertical wall wherein the walls defining the housing of the auger. The planar left vertical wall includes a left forward edge and the planar right vertical wall includes a right forward edge. There is an edge blade affixed to each outer side of the vertical walls proximate the forward edges; wherein the edge blades include a cutting face with a leading edge spaced form the vertical wall thereby creating a snow gap between the vertical walls and a snow removal edge.

The present application claims the benefit of previously filed U.S. Provisional Application 61/057,932 filed Jun. 2, 2008 under the title SNOW BLOWER WITH EDGE BLADES by Robert Cummings.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The following device relates to edge blades for use with a snow blower and more particularly relates to edge blades and also a combination of a snow blower together with edge blades.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of edge blades deployed onto a snow blower.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevational view of edge blades deployed onto a snow blower.

FIG. 3 is a top schematic plan view of edge blades deployed on the snow blower shown taking a corner.

FIG. 4 is a schematic assembly front perspective view of a first L-shape strip being assembled to a second L-shape strip to form an edge blade.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front perspective view of an assembled edge blade.

FIG. 6 is a front schematic perspective view of edge blades deployed onto a snow blower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention an edge blade shown generally as 100 is shown deployed onto a snow blower 102. Edge blades 100 may be manufactured of many different materials, however in the present example it is fabricated from a first L-shaped strip 104 and a second L-shaped strip 106 and is fastened together with screw fasteners 108 as shown in FIG. 4. Edge blades 100 include a serrated leading edge 110 having teeth 112 and is mounted to a snow blower 102 at an angle theta 114 relative to the vertical.

Edge blade 100 includes a mounting face 116, a cutting face 118 and transition face 120. Preferably mounting face 116 is parallel to and spaced from cutting face 118 by an offset distance 122 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Referring now to FIG. 6, snow blower 102 includes an auger housing 202, an auger 204, a planar left vertical wall 206, a planar right vertical wall 208, a back wall 210, all of which are assembled together to produce auger housing 202. Planar left vertical wall 206, includes a left forward edge 240 and planar right vertical wall 208 includes a right forward edge 242.

Snow blower 102 further includes a motor 220, handles 222, controls 224, a discharge shoot 226 and wheels 228. Auger housing 202 further includes a left forward edge 240 and a right forward edge 242 which is the substantially vertical edge which first meets the snow when the snow blower is moving forward.

Referring to FIG. 6 the reader will note that there are two edge blades 100 mounted onto auger housing 202 of snow blower 102. Edge blade 100 is generally mounted to an outer side 207 of planar right and left vertical walls 208 and 206 proximate the left and right forward edges 240 and 242. Edge blades 100 preferably extend vertically higher than planar right and left vertical walls 208 and 206.

A left edge blade 101 is mounted to planar left vertical wall 206 proximate left forward edge 240 of auger housing 202. A right edge blade 103 is mounted onto planar right vertical wall 208 proximate right forward edge 242 of auger housing 202. As best shown in FIG. 2 edge blade 100 is raked backwardly at an angle theta 114 relative to the vertical as shown in FIG. 2. In other words as one moves from ground level upwardly along an edge blade 100, the blade is positioned further backwardly along forward edges 240 and 240 which are normally oriented substantially vertical.

Referring now to FIG. 1 it is evident that when left edge blade 101 and right edge blade 103 are mounted onto snow blower 102, it becomes apparent that a snow gap 300 is created which is the distance between, for example planar right vertical wall 208 and the cutting face 118 of right edge blade 103 or the snow removal edge 302 for example. This is also true of left edge blade 101 which also creates a snow gap 300 which is the distance between planar left vertical wall 206 and the cutting face 118 of left edge blade 101 or the snow removal edge 302. In FIG. 1 the snow removal edge is schematically depicted as 302 and represents the face of the snow that is left behind by snow blower 102. In other words snow blower 102 clears a swath of snow having width W shown as 310. To the left and right of width 310 is snow which has not been removed by snow blower 102.

Snow blowers that are not fitted with an edge blade 100 will create a snow removal edge 302 which is parallel to and almost abutting against the planar right vertical wall 208 and the planar left vertical wall 206 of auger housing 202. Due to the manner in which auger housings 202 are manufactured, planar right vertical walls 208 and planar left vertical wall 206 are generally flat planar surfaces. When these flat planar surfaces of planar right vertical wall 208 and planar left vertical wall 206 are impinging against the snow removal edge 302, it makes it very difficult to turn snow blower 102 due to the constricting force of the snow removal edge 302 onto the side of either planar right vertical wall 208 and/or planar left vertical wall 206 of snow blower 102.

Looking to FIG. 3 which show snow blower 102 making a left hand turn for example, there is no impingement at point A 330 for example which is adjacent planar left vertical wall 206. Thereby making it easy for snow blower 102 to make left hand turn as shown in FIG. 3.

In the case when snow blower 102 is not fitted with edge blades 100, there would be impingement of the snow namely, at snow removal edge 302 with the planar right vertical wall 208 and/or also the planar left vertical wall 206 therefore making it very difficult to manoeuvre into a turn.

The combination of the creation of snow gap 300 and also the raking of edge blade 100 backwardly by an angle theta 114 relative to the vertical, enables snow blower 102 to easily turn as the machine continues to remove snow having a width W 310 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim. 

1) A combination of a snow blower and edge blades comprising: a) A snow blower of the type having an auger housing which includes a back wall, a planar left vertical wall and a planar right vertical wall, the walls defining the housing of the auger, b) wherein the planar left vertical wall includes a left forward edge and the planar right vertical wall includes a right forward edge; c) an edge blade affixed to each outer side of the vertical walls proximate the forward edges; d) wherein the edge blades include a cutting face with a leading edge spaced form the vertical wall thereby creating a snow gap between the vertical walls and a snow removal edge. 2) The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the edge blade includes a mounting face dimensioned for mounting the edge blade to the vertical walls. 3) The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the cutting face includes a serrated leading edge. 4) The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the edge blade raked backwardly at an angle theta relative to the vertical such that the bottom of the blade contacting the snow prior to the top of the blade. 5) The combination claimed in claim 2 wherein the edge blade includes a transition face connecting the cutting face with the mounting face. 6) The combination claimed in claim 5 wherein the transition face being perpendicular to the mounting face. 7) The combination claimed in claim 5 wherein the transition face being perpendicular to the cutting face. 8) The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the mounting face is parallel to the cutting face. 9) The combination claimed in claim 5 wherein the edge blade including a first and second L shaped strip wherein the strips are connected at the transition face. 10) The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the edge blades extending vertically higher than the right and left vertical walls. 